An extended New Year’s celebration became unforgettable for a group of Brazilian friends playing roulette at the Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino Hotel in Uruguay. Pedro Grendene Bartelle, a successful businessman in his own right and possible heir to the Bartelle family footwear fortune, laid up a fat stack of chips – reportedly worth $35,000, on number 32 while his friends covered numbers around his bet.

The ball landed where predicted and Bartelle was $1,225,000 in chips richer if his bet was $35,000. A cell phone video of the phenomenal event has surfaced on Youtube for those who are wary of such riches to riches stories. The friends can be seen jumping up and down arm in arm in a winner’s circle while spectators give their own responses to the event through body language and facial expressions.

Conrad Resort & Casino is an opulently appointed casino, spa, and vacation retreat offering seaside luxury on the southernmost peninsular tip of Uraguay. The weather there is warmest in February (71*f) and coldest in July (53*f).

The casino offers about 75 gaming tables, a dozen poker tables, and over 500 slot machines. January, February, and March see the most visitors.

Editor’s note: There are various reports circulating about the amount bet and won. A single number bet in roulette, including 0 or 00 pays 35:1. If Bartelle bet $100,000 as some reports claim, he will have won $3,500,000.